Maybe In The Next Life
by nxext
Summary: 'She's my everything. My reason of being. I might be fading away, but her memory will live on through you. Protect her for me, Roxas.' The words stumbled out of Sora's mouth before he could stop them. The last words Axel had spoken to him before he disappeared. Axel was speaking to the half of Roxas inside Sora, pleading him to protect his reason of being...Maelixa. AxelxOFC


"Where...am I?"

The blackness slowly started to fade, replaced by a blinding light. He blinked a few times, his eyes starting to focus. The sun. Sora held up a hand in front of his face, shielding himself from the brightness. He felt a headache coming on as he began to take in his surroundings. He was in Radiant Gardens. At least, it looked vaguely like it. He could see the castle from his spot on the ground, towering majestically over the quiet town.

Sora groaned, rubbing his head. He was slumped down against a wall, no memory of how he had gotten there. Just as he was about to stand, a voice called out from afar, the sound of running footsteps growing closer.

"Hey, you okay?"

Sora glanced up, eyes widening at the face staring back at him. "Axel..?"

No, not Axel. The boy was too young to be Axel. But the resemblance was uncanny. The same spiked flaming red hair, the electric green eyes. And the same gentle smile.

"Who's Axel?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow at Sora. The brunette blinked, before laughing nervously, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"O-Oh, sorry. You remind me of someone..."

The red-head flashed a dazzling smile, jabbing himself with his thumb. "I get that a lot. Name's Lea. Got it memorized? And who might you be?"

"Sora..." He replied dumbly, immediately recognizing Axel's famous catchphrase. The boy, Lea, looked like Axel. Acted like Axel. And talked like Axel. Sora frowned, inspecting Lea more closely. He wore loose fitting beige capris pants with a black t-shirt, a nice gray scarf hanging around his neck. He was a little older than Sora, by the looks of it.

"Nice to meet you, Sora. Whatcha doing here in Radiant Gardens?"

"I knew it!" Sora exclaimed loudly. So, he really WAS in Radiant Gardens. Yet, everything seemed so different. So new.

"Knew what?" Lea gave him a confused look before shrugging, squatting down to be eye-level with the brunette. That's when Sora noticed it.

Lea was Axel. He had to be. He had the same purple markings under his eyes. He had the same crisp smell, like something burning. And his eyes...Sora couldn't get over the red-head's eyes. Sora suddenly felt his heart sink, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He knew deep down that Lea couldn't be Axel. Axel was gone...

"Uh, hellooo! Earth to Sora!" Lea waved a hand in front of the brunette's face quickly, snapping Sora back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, sorry."

"Geez, stop apologizing already!" Lea gave a small laugh, his green eyes dancing. "Here, let me help you up."

The older boy offered his hand for Sora's, who immediately took it gratefully. The brunette dusted himself off, glancing around again. "Where's Leon and the others?" He couldn't help but ask.

Lea gave him a questioning look. "Who?"

"Lea." A smooth voice called out from behind the red-head, Sora glancing over Lea's shoulder out of curiosity. He almost fell back when cold blue eyes met his.

"Isa, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Lea asked the other boy, laughing sheepishly. Isa rolled his eyes, coming up beside his friend.

"I should be saying the same to you."

"S-Saix?"

The two older boys turned to Sora. The boy looked down, quickly realizing that Isa wasn't Saix. But, like Lea, the resemblance was unbelievable. The only difference was that Isa's blue hair was shorter than Saix's had been. But his cold demeanor was the same.

"Who's your new friend?" Isa asked, his voice sharp. Lea laughed hysterically, patting Isa on the back a few times.

"What, you jealous because I'm hanging out with him instead of you?"

"I doubt that." Isa hissed, before a small grin formed on his lips. Sora simply stared in shock.

"He says his name is Sora. But, you know...I think he hit his head _pretty _hard." Lea waved his finger around the side of his side in the common gesture of 'cuckoo'. Sora huffed, crossing his arms defensively.

"I'm not crazy! I just...don't know how I got here."

"...like I said." The red-headed repeated the gesture, making Sora hold up his fists.

"Why I oughta-!"

"Hey, hey, calm down, would ya?" Lea smirked a bit, waving his hand dismissively. Sora glared softly, lowering his fists. Isa eyed the brunette up and down.

"You're not from around here."

"Gee, nice going, Sherlock." The red-head rolled his eyes, before letting out an 'oof!' when Isa slammed his hand into Lea's gut, making the boy stumble back a bit in pain.

"Wow..." Sora couldn't help but stare at them, at the way they interacted with each other. They acted like the real Axel and Saix, but maybe if they had been in another time. The brunette's eyes widened, realization hitting him. "Wait, you said you didn't know Leon, right?"

Lea thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Nope, doesn't ring a bell."

Isa and Lea stared in disbelief as Sora began mumbling to himself, pacing back and forth. He would occasionally throw his hands up briefly before letting them drop with a sigh. The blue-haired boy gave his best friend a weird look. "You sure know how to pick 'em."

"Oh, shut up." Lea crossed his arms, focused on Sora until he caught a glimpse of golden yellow out of the corner of his eye. Isa noticed his friend tense suddenly, just has he heard some giggling from behind him. The Saix look alike turned to see a group of high school girls, huddled together a few feet away. They seemed oblivious that the three boys were even there, giggling and talking loudly. One of the girls caught Isa's attention, in particular.

The blue-haired boy turned back to Lea, smirking a bit. "My, look who it is."

Lea hissed, grinding his teeth. "Don't."

Sora had finally stopped placing, looking at the two boys curiously. "Who are you talking about?"

Lea shot Isa a warning glare but it was too late. "Her name is Amelia. Lea's had a crush on her since, what? Kindergarten?" Isa began, chuckling softly at the look on the red-head's face.

Sora blinked, glancing over at the group of girls. Most of them were pretty, but one really stood out. Sora, once again, couldn't believe his eyes. Maelixa.

"I haven't had a crush on her that long!" Lea whispered harshly, eyes narrowed. Isa simply smirked back.

"If you say so."

"'She's my everything. My reason of being. I might be fading away, but her memory will live on through you. Protect her for me, Roxas.'" The words stumbled out of Sora's mouth before he could stop them. The last words Axel had spoken to him before he disappeared. He knew now that Roxas was his other half, his Nobody. In that last moment, Axel was speaking to the half of Roxas inside Sora, pleading him to protect his reason of being...Maelixa. He had failed.

"What are you, some kind of poet?"

"Huh?" Sora looked back at Lea, before shaking his head slowly, looking down. "Oh, that...it's nothing. Forget it."

"Get over there and talk to her." Isa gave his friend a playful shove towards the girls, Lea blushing insanely.

"A-Are you crazy?" The boy stammered, struggling to get away from the blue-haired teen.

Sora shrugged, a look of sadness crossing his face. "You two are meant to be together. Whether it's in this life, or the next."

Lea froze, turning his head to the younger boy. "...so, you're crazy AND a hopeless romantic. Man, do I regret meeting you."

Sora pouted slightly, looking like a little kid. Isa shook his head, putting a hand on Lea's shoulder. "It's now or never. Do it."

The red-head took a deep breath, glancing at the blonde a few feet away. "Man, she's so beautiful..."

"I don't care! Just do it!" Isa gave his friend another violent shove. Lea didn't react fast enough to catch his footing, thus falling face first on the ground with a loud yell. He groaned when he heard the explosive laughter coming from the girls. Sora winced, feeling embarrassed for Lea.

Lea stayed sprawled out on the ground, face flat on the cold stone below him, mumbling miserably. "Just kill me now..."

"Hey, are you alright?" A soft voice rang from somewhere above him, forcing Lea to lift his face slightly to see who it was. Amelia. The other girls looked at their friend in disbelief before walking away, whispering amongst themselves.

The red-head felt his face heat up, quickly adverting his gaze from Amelia's icy blue eyes. She had a genuinely concerned look on her face, leaning down a bit towards him. "Here, let me help you."

"I-I'm fine!" He stated quickly, practically jumping to his feet. Lea rubbed the back of his head, still not meeting her gaze. She giggled softly, bringing a hand to his shoulder to brush off some dirt.

"Your nose is bleeding."

Lea looked shocked for a second before bringing a hand to his upper lip, feeling the hot red liquid. He choked, face reddening even more. Amelia gave him a sympathetic look before digging around in her back pack, pulling out a Kleenex. She gently brought the white tissue to Lea's nose, making him screw his eyes shut out of embarrassment.

Isa and Sora watched in both shock and amusement. The blue-haired boy slowly put his hands in his pockets, smiling at his friend before turning to leave. Sora hurried to stop him, holding his arms out defensively. "Wh-Where are you going?"

"Home." Isa stated simply, his face void of emotion. Sora frowned.

"You're just going to leave him? You practically broke his nose!"

Isa glanced back at Lea and Amelia, smirking a bit. "He's in good hands."

Sora blinked as the blue-haired teen brushed past him and headed off. The brunette watched the older boy go before turning back to Lea, a look of nostalgia creeping across his face at the sight of them. He remembered seeing Axel and Maelixa together once. Everything about them seemed...magical. Sora knew that Nobodies didn't have hearts. But when he saw those two together, it almost made him believe they could feel. And seeing Lea and Amelia now...

"I-I was wondering if maybe you wanted to, uh..." Lea began, eyes meeting Amelia's as she replaced the bloody tissue with a new one.

"Yes?" She smiled a bit at him, patiently waiting for him to continue. He gulped, voice cracking a bit.

"Would you, uh...like to go on a date? With me?"

"No."

Lea's face fell, his shoulders slumping. Amelia simply laughed softly, stepping closer to him. "I wouldn't like to go on a date with you. I'd _love_ to."

The red-head's face brightened, slowly bringing a hand to her cheek. Amelia slowly lowered her hand from his lip, dropping the Kleenex on the ground. Their eyes met and for a brief moment, they were the only ones who mattered.

Sora watched in amazement as Lea brought his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. It was pure magic. The brunette suddenly jumped when a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Huh, wha-?" Sora quickly turned his head to see who it was, freezing when he felt the gloved black hand drop from his shoulder. He could barely believe his eyes as he stared up at the man beside him.

"Hey there, Sora."

"Axel...?"

Axel didn't turn to look down at the brunette, instead he kept his eyes steadily on Lea and Amelia, who were still kissing passionately a few feet in front of them. A look of sorrow and regret was plastered on his face, a sad smile spreading across his lips.

Sora began to stammer, so many questions building up inside him. But he only asked the one that mattered. "How?"

Axel sighed deeply, ignoring Sora's question. "This is how we were supposed to live our lives."

Sora tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?"

Axel gestured to the young couple with his head. "Them."

That's when Sora understood. He had been right. Lea was Axel. At least, he used to be. Lea was Axel's Somebody. He was who Axel had been before he had his heart stolen. And it was the same with Maelixa.

"...I'm sorry I couldn't save her." Sora barely managed to choke, remorse weighing heavily on his heart. Axel tried to keep a straight face, failing miserably.

"It's not your fault, kid. None of us could be saved. We weren't even supposed to exist, remember?" The red-headed man laughed humorlessly. Sora simply frowned, turning his whole body towards the Nobody beside him.

"That doesn't make it alright. She...she was your everything. And I failed."

"We're all meant to disappear at some point. It doesn't matter how or when. It's inevitable."

It pained Sora to hear Axel's voice again. Especially when it was so void of emotion. Deciding to change the subject, Sora slowly turned back to Lea. "Did this really happen?"

Axel nodded. "Yeah. Kinda ironic how it's all thanks to Saix, right? If he hadn't pushed me..." He trailed off when he saw Lea take Amelia's hand, slowly leading her away.

Sora looked back up at Axel sadly. "You really loved her, didn't you?"

"Always have. Always will."

"Is she with you? You know, in the next life?" Sora questioned, his voice almost a whisper. He saw Axel crack a small smile, finally looking down to meet Sora in the eyes. The brunette was shocked to see tears forming in Axel's green eyes.

"Silly. Just because you have a next life..."

Suddenly, a horrible feeling washed over Sora as he watched Axel slowly start to back away. "W-Wait, where are you going?"

"You tell me. This is your dream, after all."

Sora choked, feeling hot tears pour from his eyes. "It can't be a dream! I don't believe you! You're really here! I know you are!"

"I wish I were. I really do." Axel turned his back to the brunette, unable to face him right now. The red-head could feel his own tears streaming his face. Sora tried not to sob as he stepped towards the older man.

"Don't go, please!"

Axel hesitated before glancing back over his shoulder, trying his best to smile. "Say hi to Roxas for me, will ya?"

And with that he was gone.

Sora awoke with a start, sitting up sharply in his bed. It really had been a dream... The brunette sighed heavily, bringing a hand up to his face. He froze when he felt the wetness there, realizing he had been crying in his sleep.

_Silly. Just because you have a next life..._


End file.
